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Today’s Issues in Europe
Section 1
Turmoil in the Balkans
Terms and Names
South Slavs Slavic people who migrated from Poland and Russia and settled on the
Balkan Peninsula
Slobodan Milošević Serbian leader who tried to increase Serbia’s power over the rest
of Yugoslavia
ethnic cleansing the policy of trying to eliminate an ethnic group through violence
KLA the Kosovo Liberation Army
Vojislav Kostunica reform leader elected president of Yugoslavia in 2000
Before You Read
In the last chapter, you read about the human geography of Europe. In
this section, you will learn about conflicts in the Balkan region of
Eastern Europe.
As You Read
Use a chart to take notes on causes and effects of the Balkan conflict.
ROOTS OF THE BALKAN
CONFLICT (Pages 319–320)
What happened at the Battle of
Kosovo Polje?
One conflict in the Balkans is that
different groups want control of the
same land. The causes of this conflict
go back centuries. Starting in the 500s,
Slavic people migrated from Poland
and Russia to the Balkan Peninsula.
They were the South Slavs. The South
Slavs included Croats, Slovenes, and
Serbs. Each group formed its own
kingdom.
In 1389, the Muslim Ottoman Empire
defeated Serbia at the Battle of Kosovo
Polje. The Ottomans began to rule Serbia.
They also ruled Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Austria ruled Slovenia, and Hungary ruled
Croatia. These influences created
differences among the South Slavic
groups.
Though ruled by Muslims, the Serbs
clung to Christianity. Many Bosnians
converted to Islam. In addition, many
Serbs fled Kosovo, where both Serbs and
Albanians had lived. Kosovo became more
Albanian in culture.
In 1878, Serbia broke free of the
Ottoman Empire. Many Serbs wanted all
the South Slavs to be free of foreign rule.
They also want the South Slavs to unite in
one nation. That desire helped spark
World War I.
After the war, the Kingdom of the
Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes was formed.
To help end ethnic divisions, the king
renamed the nation Yugoslavia in 1929.
During World War II, Germany and
Italy invaded Yugoslavia. The Croats
worked with the Nazis. Their leader
ordered the murder of Jews and Serbs.
Many other Yugoslavs joined the Chetniks
or the Partisans. Those were two rival
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Section 1, continued
groups fighting the Nazis. One Partisan
leader, Josip Broz Tito, was also a
Communist. After the war, he became the
dictator of Yugoslavia.
In 1946, a new constitution set up
Yugoslavia as a nation of six republics.
The republics were Bosnia and
Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia,
Montenegro, Serbia, and Slovenia. Serbia
had two provinces, Kosovo and
Vojvodina. Croatia and Bosnia had mixed
populations with many Serbs.
Bosnia’s Serbs and Serbia started a war to
stop it. They also used murder and
violence to get rid of Muslims and Croats.
The policy of trying to eliminate an ethnic
group is called ethnic cleansing. Over
200,000 people died. Over 2 million fled
their homes.
In 1995, the United States set up peace
negotiations. In December, a peace treaty
was signed. Bosnia remained independent.
The Serbs saw Kosovo as an important
part of Serbia. But in the 1990s, mostly
Muslim Albanians lived in Kosovo.
Albanians spoke a non-Slavic language.
Serbia, led by Milošević tried to assert
control over Kosovo. He wanted to wipe
out the Albanian culture there. In
response, Kosovo demanded
independence. A group called the Kosovo
Liberation Army (KLA) began to attack
Serbian officials. In response, the Serbian
government started to bomb villages.
In March 1999, NATO started bombing
Serbia. NATO wanted Serbia to stop the
violence. In June, Serbian troops withdrew
from Kosovo. An international court tried
Milošević for war crimes. He died in
prison in 2006.
In 2000, the Yugoslav people voted
Milošević out of office. They elected
Vojislav Kostunica, a reform leader,
president. However, the wars had created
millions of refugees. Poverty was
widespread. Also, Kosovo and Montenegro
wanted independence from Serbia.
In 2006, Montenegro gained
independence. Kosovo declared
independence in 2008, but Serbia does not
recognize it as a country.
1. How did the South Slavic groups
develop cultural differences?
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ETHNIC TENSION BOILS OVER
(Pages 320–321)
What is ethnic cleansing?
In 1980, Tito died. Leaders from
Yugoslavia’s republics and provinces took
turns serving as president.
Slobodan Milošević was a Serbian
leader who tried to increase Serbia’s
power. He proposed the creation of
Greater Serbia. Serbia would expand its
borders to include other lands where Serbs
lived. This plan alarmed Croats and
Bosnians. Then in 1991, Serbia stopped a
Croat from becoming president.
In response, Slovenia and Croatia
declared their independence. In June 1991,
the Serbian-led Yugoslav army invaded
both republics. Slovenia quickly won its
freedom. But Croatia had a large Serbian
minority. Past Serb-Croat hatreds
exploded in war. In January 1992, the
United Nations arranged a cease-fire.
Slovenia and Croatia remained free.
Bosnia and Herzegovina declared
independence in March 1992. Bosnia’s
Muslims and Croats favored the move.
2. Why did Serbia’s plans alarm Croatia
and Slovenia?
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Section 1, continued
Use the organizer to take notes on the conflict in the Balkans.
Event
Effect on the Region
1. migration of South Slavs
2. Battle of Kosovo Polje
3. foreign rule
4. World War II
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